Betrayal
by Skymouth
Summary: COMPLETE! A bad spur of the moment idea costs Fujiko much more then what she might be willing to give up. Will Lupin be able to forgive her this time? And she actually feels--- guilty?
1. Default Chapter

Betrayal

A Lupin Fanfic

Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Owned by Kato, Takahashi, and Monkey Punch, I make no profit from this fic, so try to sue me, I dare ya, I have nothing

Summary: COMPLETE! A bad spur of the moment idea costs Fujiko much more then what she might be willing to give up. Will Lupin be able to forgive her this time? And she actually feels--- guilty?

(Author's Note: Yes, after over a year in hibernation, this fic has finally been completed! My Lupin muse came back to me at last! Thank you all for your patience! I know quite a few of ya'll have bugged me about it's completion and I hope you will all be satisfied with how it ends. I know I am! Grins! Well, go on, read, review, and enjoy!)

Lupin cursed at what sounded like someone using a large battering ram to open the door to get into the room they were in. Lupin guessed it was just Pop's, hurling himself at the door in a desperate attempt to gain access. Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko were frantically hurling the one billion yen in ruby's into the next room. Unfortunately, they couldn't get through to their remote controlled get-away vehicle in the room they were in, because of the heavy metal shielding that protected the vault.

The thief began to push everyone into the next room once all the rubies were collected. Pop's sounded like he was bashing his brains in to get to them. He knew the door was going to give way at any moment. It had been damaged during an ill-timed blast when they had infiltrated the vault that contained the rubies. And the internal door they were escaping through wasn't nearly as fortified. He had a spur of the moment idea and grabbed Fujiko before she could escape to the next room.

She cried out indignantly and punched the strong arm that held her.

"Distract Pop's 'till we can get our vehicle filled and in gear, got it?" He ordered her and roughly let her go.

"How?" She demanded petulantly.

But Lupin didn't have time to answer her. The door gave way and Lupin dove into next room, slamming the door. Fujiko threw herself at the now sealed door angrily.

"LUPIN!" She banged on the door as she called out. But it was a soundproof vault. She knew that he wouldn't hear her.

"LUPIN!" Zenigata called as he shouldered the door to the side. It moved enough to allow him to squeeze into the now empty vault where Fujiko stood. The old cop halted there, panting after his exertion. "Fujiko!"

Fujiko was at a loss at what to do. Had Lupin found out her plan to steal the ruby's once they were out of there? She felt a stab of anger at Lupin. The Inspector moved towards the other door, the one that Lupin and the others, and more importantly the ruby's had gone through. Frantic, she threw herself at Zenigata. He caught her in his arms, then held her away from him.

"Don't play with me, Fujiko." He said gruffly. "I'm not in the mood!"

She racked her brains, trying to think of a way to keep ol' Pop's from going through the next door. Then a thought struck her. It was the only thing she could think of and she couldn't believe she was going to go through with it. The things she'd do for a billion in gems! She did her best to psyche herself up for the act. But there wasn't time. Zenigata was about to push her aside but she fell to her knees and grabbed the belt of his pants.

"Fujiko, what--!" Zenigata barked at her irritated then froze when he realized she had unhooked his belt and was working at releasing the fly of his pants. His pants slid down to his ankles, and soon after, his boxers. "What--- do--- you think--- you're doing?" Zenigata asked wonderingly, too mystified to protest too much.

Fujiko didn't say anything. She was afraid to. She was trying not to think about what she was about to do. Lupin didn't say how she was supposed to distract the old man. Was he going to betray her to Pop's then, like she had intended on betraying him? Well, screw that! This would be the best payback to Lupin she could think of. She didn't give Zenigata much time to react as she took him in her mouth.

Zenigata gasped in amazed shock. His head emptied of almost every thought except for the one that was the most important, and that was--- Fujiko was going down on him. He hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath from trying to force the door open as of yet. His heart was going about a mile a minute and it felt like every nerve was having pleasure forced upon it. His eyes glazed over. It was easy to give in to the wonderful feeling. He couldn't remember how long it had been since the last time he had physical pleasure with a woman. It was just weird that the one to break the dry spell happened to be Fujiko. But at the moment, he didn't want to worry about that. He had to concentrate on breathing right then. It was hard to do. His breath came in quick gasps. His whole body seemed to quiver with the overwhelming sensation of Fujiko taking over his manhood.

Fujiko had been surprised the first moment she'd seen it. Bigger then she thought it would be. It pleased her on some weird level that Pop's was seemingly enjoying it as much as he was. She took pride in her abilities to bring men to their knees in multiple ways. This just happened to be one of them. Once she got over the initial creeps of the receiver being their old adversary, she was able to really get into it. Pop's didn't force it into her, he let her do as she would, which also pleased her. It always irritated her when they tried to shove it in as she was trying to do her thing. It didn't help.

After getting over the first few minutes of revulsion, she found it actually kind of pleasing. It was perfect payback for Lupin, and who knows, perhaps Zenigata would go easy on her after. For some reason, the old man seemed to not be easily affected by her feminine charms. Maybe because he knew he had no chance with her? Perhaps after this one time--- he'll be just as under her spell as Lupin was.

Just as she was wondering how long Pop's could last, he shuddered then moaned and she choked a bit as she swallowed him.

He just stood there, trembling slightly as she wiped her mouth off with the tail of his shirt, still in a state of shock.

"Was it good for you?" She smiled and tweaked his cheek, then turned and when she tried the second door again, found that she could open it. She left the old cop there who had a mixed look of confusion and pleasure on his face. He didn't move. Just stood there with his pants and boxers resting on his shoes, trying to sort out what had just happened, what he been doing before that moment, and why he was even there. About ten minutes past and he was still there, unmoving, when he managed to mumble, "Yeah." In answer.

Fujiko hadn't bothered to tell Lupin how she'd managed to hold her own against Pop's for so long without getting arrested. When she had been performing her specialty distraction on the Inspector, she'd entertained herself with the thought of telling Lupin in excruciating detail just how she held the old man at bay. But now, her courage left her for some reason she didn't understand. Lupin was being so nice to her. Not that that ever really affected her reasoning skills in the past. Lupin at his nicest was also the easiest to target. Which made it all the more confusing why she didn't tell him. Perhaps she'll just save it for later, when he really deserved getting taken down a notch. Right now, she was nearly rolling in her take of the ruby's from the robbery.

It had been a couple of days since the robbery. She'd hold onto her take for a few more days before she'd start to turn the gems into cold, hard cash. Gems were pretty, and she'd definitely keep a few for her own, personal collection, but you could always do so much more with a few million yen then you could a boat load of ruby's.

She spent her free time sorting the rubies. The one's she'd keep, the ones she'd sell. It was her idea of a good time. No man could ever out-shine quality gems in her eyes. Gems were definitely less maintenance then any guy. And though she could easily wrap both around her finger, gems always looked better anyway.

Fujiko heard the familiar sound of the roadster pull up to a stop in the driveway. Lupin and company were back from whatever errands they had set out to accomplish. It was by now a habit that she hid her gems from him. Once she felt they were secure, she hurried downstairs to meet Lupin.

"Lupin!" But her face fell at the haggard look on Lupin's and the similar expressions on Jigen's and Goemon's faces. "What happened?"

Lupin stared at her and she felt a pang of concern. Something was very wrong.

"Lupin?" She repeated. When she got no response, she turned to Jigen, "Come on, Jigen. Guys? Tell me what happened!"

Jigen's frown deepened and he kept his hat canted down so she could barely see his face. "Why'd you do it, Fujiko?"

Fujiko looked at him blankly. "What are you talking about, Jigen? Do what? What did I do?"

"Why'd you have to do that back there? And with Pop's?" Jigen asked.

Fujiko paused. He must mean the blowjob she'd given the Inspector. Oh God. But how'd they find out? She never told any--- of--- them. Then it dawned on her. Zenigata must have told them. Why?

Flustered, Fujiko threw her hands up, "I don't know, I was put on the spot! And--- I guess, a little angry at Lupin." She confessed for some reason.

"Well, that's just great, Fujiko." Jigen growled. "Do you have any idea what you did?"

Fujiko snorted angrily. Of course, hadn't she been the one doing it? "You going to tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Ol' Pop's is dead, thanks to you!" Jigen told her.

Dead? She stood there stunned, "What do you mean? How does this make it my fault?"

"The old fart was chasing us again today." Jigen explained reluctantly, "We were cornered. Guess he felt like gloating 'cause he was pissed off at Lupin. And he told us what you did to him. Real nice, Fujiko."

Fujiko was amazed. But, how'd that make him dead?

"Lupin lost his head then." Jigen said as if in answer to her thought. "Started raving then picked up his gun and, well, shot Pop's. We had to drag him out of there before the rest of the cops caught up to us."

Fujiko couldn't believe it. "But--- why?"

"You play with him, Fujiko!" Jigen spat in anger. "Get Lupin so wound up he can't think straight. Now you screwed him real good. You know how cop-killers get treated, don't you? You think we never got breaks in the past? Well, now the police will never let us rest. And you know that Pop's, pain in the butt that he was, always held a weird, if twisted place in Lupin's heart."

Fujiko frowned. She carefully came up to Lupin's side. He was staring at the floor. She reached out to him, but he jerked back.

"I killed him. I killed Pop's." Lupin muttered. He sidestepped around her and escaped to the next room to be alone.

Goemon remained quiet, his arms folded and walked off to meditate without looking at Fujiko once.

"Jigen---" Fujiko began but didn't have anything to say to the gunman, which was fine with him.

"Cops know where this place is--- it's in Zenigata's files. I'm sure they'll be here within the hour. If I were you, I'd start packing up."

"Where are we going?"

"WE are going somewhere else. You are free to go where ever the hell you want." Jigen broke away and went up stairs, leaving a blown away Fujiko standing by herself in the foyer.

She took a step towards the stairs, then stopped and inexplicably changed course and found herself walking in the direction Lupin had went. She found the young thief standing in front of a cold fireplace. She crossed her arms and slightly bowed her head as she slowly approached him.

"Lupin." She said softly.

"Haven't you done enough?"

She inhaled sharply. "Lupin. I'm--- sorry."

"Like I believe that one."

She heard the anger in his voice and balked a bit. "I really am!"

Lupin spun around and glared at her, "Don't you understand? Because of you I killed Pop's! What had I done to make you betray me like you did back there? Just when I thought things were going really well between us, you do something like this! What makes you think you can say anything that will make it all better again?"

Fujiko was wide-eyed. She'd never thought she'd see the day where Lupin would not forgive her. "You only said to distract him! You never said how!"

"Oh come on, Fujiko! We all know why you did what you did! You did it to get back at me!" Lupin fumed.

"I--- I---" Fujiko stuttered. "I thought you put me in that position to betray me!"

"What made you think that? Is that how I work?" Lupin growled.

Fujiko shook her head, "Well, not usually."

He snorted, "Wrong answer."

"Look, Lupin-"

"Save it, Fujiko. I killed a cop. That's all there is to it."

"But it was over such a stupid thing!" She almost shouted in frustration. "You could have chosen to let it go!"

"Why didn't you tell me right away, Fuj? I'm just curious. Was it 'cause you felt guilty? Or was it something else? Did you actually like it? Was Pop's the one you've wanted all along, though I find that one hard to believe, but at this point, I'm really not sure any more." Lupin asked.

"Why is it so important? We aren't 'together'." She spouted angrily.

Lupin glowered at her, "Has everything that we had together been THAT meaningless to you?"

"Of course not!" Fujiko countered unconvincingly.

Lupin snorted, "Don't make me laugh. You know how I feel when I see you with someone else. It drives me crazy! You knew and you went ahead and did--- what you--- did!"

Fujiko tried to reach out to Lupin but he batted her outstretched arms away angrily. "I don't know if I want you to come near me at the moment. I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but I think I want some space from you. If I want to get in contact with you, I'll find you. But otherwise, don't come looking for me."

Her lip trembled slightly and she took a hesitant step back. He really was angry at her! She was so used to him being able to forgive her just like that. She never thought that someday, she'd actually cross the line where Lupin might be beyond tolerance.

"Lupin---." She said, but the word was hollow and fell flat. She sensed she had to leave. Leave the house, leave the group, just--- leave. The beautiful young thief turned on her heel and quickly left the room and headed back to her own room to collect her hard won belongings. When she got there, she saw Jigen coming out of her room. Scowling, she quickly closed the distance between her and the gunman. "What are you doing in my room?" She noticed the suitcase. The very familiar suitcase, as a matter of fact. "Those are MY ruby's!" She tried to make a grab for Jigen's burden.

He easily avoided her attempts at retrieval and scowled at her from under the brim of his hat, "These are ours, I think. Consider them as payment for damages--- not nearly enough by my estimates." He growled.

"Those are MINE! I worked hard for my share!" Fujiko screamed at Jigen and balled her fists.

Jigen's laugh was short and without humor, "You haven't begun to work for YOUR share of what you've done." He then made an about face and left, turning a deaf ear to the barrage of colorful insults Fujiko hurled at his back.

An angry Fujiko left the house with considerably less then what she had originally planned. Much less. She had no idea where Lupin and crew's share of the ruby's had been squirreled away, though she had looked thoroughly and in the usual places. And with her own stash now a distant memory, she trod the gas pedal to her Mercedes mercilessly in a display of her anger. On the move again. She was used to that. But she hadn't counted on doing it in the shape she was in currently. She almost had it all! With this gig, she'd have enough to clear that mortgage on her flat in Tokyo. But now that was not possible. It wasn't fair! Lupin could have asked Goemon or Jigen to have hung back to stall the Inspector, but instead he had asked HER! What the hell was she supposed to do? She had no strength to overpower the cop. Only her excessive womanly charms held any strength that no man could resist. She sighed. And now, another man was dead because of her. She was sick of that. Why did this sort of thing always have to happen to her?

To be continued---


	2. Part II

Betrayal

Part II

A Lupin Fanfic

Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Owned by Kato, Takahashi, and Monkey Punch, I make no profit from this fic, so try to sue me, I dare ya, I have nothing!

Summary: A bad spur of the moment idea costs Fujiko much more then what she might be willing to give up. Will Lupin be able to forgive her this time? And she actually feels--- gulity?

"You think she's gonna come back, Boss?" Jigen asked while lighting his cigarette.

Lupin was leaning up against the wall staring off into space. "She always comes back. Of that I have no doubt."

Jigen inhaled deeply then tossed the match into a standing puddle of water on the asphalt outside the gas station. "Don't you go feelin' any kind of sorry for that bitch!" The gunman said hotly. "She's ice!"

Lupin sighed heavily, hating how much he missed her, hating how angry he was at her. "That's just her safety net. She has been hurt many times in the past."

Jigen snorted, "I can't believe you're defending her! You really are hopeless, you know that? Think of everything she's done to us! You forgetting this entire past week, Lupin? No matter how you look at it, everything has changed! There's no more trust left in the world! Good riddance to her, I say!"

"I just can't, Jigen." Lupin admitted.

"Shit! Lupin!" Jigen growled then angrily puffed away at his cigarette in silence.

Goemon approached them, noticing the change in mood. "Dwelling on the past does not allow one to live into the future."

"Then how are you supposed to learn from your mistakes?" Lupin asked slightly ticked, mostly at Jigen, but because Goemon was the one talking, his anger was directed at the samurai.

"The past is a trap. Dwell long enough to learn and move on, if you do not, you lie in the arms of guilt."

Lupin sighed, "Yeah, whatever. Are we ready to go now?" He nearly whined.

"Let's get the hell out of here." Jigen began to walk towards the car stiffly.

"We aren't being followed, as much as I can tell." Goemon informed Lupin who was walking slowly after the ex-mobster.

"We lost them?" Lupin wondered aloud worriedly.

"Looks that way." Goemon said unemotionally.

Lupin sighed, "We're too good at that. How will she be able to find us if we lose our tail?"

"I don't understand why you want that woman around still, after all she's done." Goemon still said 'that woman' as if it was a bad taste in his mouth.

Lupin shrugged. "I don't know. I still love her, after all is said and done, call me crazy---"

"I've done that before and it STILL hasn't done any good." Goemon said stoically.

The young thief shrugged tiredly. "Ha ha, Goemon. You need to stick to being the straight man around here and leave all the jokes to me. You stink."

Goemon looked at Lupin through his overhanging bangs but said nothing. After all the years following Lupin around, there was much he knew about the thief, and yet, much more he could barely even begin to fathom. Ironic. It was true, the old saying, the more you know, the more you know you don't know. They all got into the car and drove off, not quite at the crazy pace they had started off with.

Lupin was munching on some jerky they had purchased at the gas station as he drove. Everyone in the car was quiet. He was certain Jigen was pissed at him. No doubt of that. And Goemon, well, Goemon was probably in one of his weird 'modes' of tolerance or indifference. It was kind of hard for Lupin to tell which was which with the introverted samurai. The man never wore his emotions on his sleeve like he did. Which made him sad that he never taught Goemon the art of poker. Goemon would have the best poker face of anyone he knew.

He knew he was trying his best not to think about the real problem. It hurt him to think about what he'd done. He'd shot Pop's. Saw the old cop wilt to the ground and stay there, unmoving. The sudden fury that had grasped his heart had been replaced with cold terror. He'd stood there, paralyzed, staring at the crumpled heap that was the Inspector. He barely remembered Jigen and Goemon forcibly dragging him away. He'd wanted to go to see if Zenigata was okay, against better judgement. Thank God for Jigen and Goemon! They kept him from going to pieces. They kept him just on this side of sane. If he thought too much about what he'd done, he was sure he'd go over the brink.

And even after all was said and done, after the heat of the moment had passed, a day later, he wanted Fujiko back. She was like an addiction. Hot and heavy and impossible to get rid of. It'd been a week and she still hadn't come calling, despite his wishes. When had she ever listened to him? Why did she have to start now? He wondered morosely.

Jigen had at one time asked if he had some sort of masochist thing going on with Fujiko, and Lupin had to finally agree. Fujiko brought out the best and worst in him. She was the one challenge that he'd give everything up for. He wasn't sure when he'd decided this, it--- just--- happened.

"There is someone behind us." Goemon said quietly.

"Who?" Lupin asked, roused from his reverie.

"Cops."

"Anyone else?" Lupin couldn't help but blurt.

Goemon gave him a cool, silent gaze.

"Okay, okay. Looks like they re-found us. Took them long enough." Lupin sighed and didn't say aloud what else he'd been thinking, hoping for. He knew the gang knew what he was hoping to see--- a certain female on a bike tailing the cops tailing them. It would have been the easiest way to find them. Just follow Interpol.

"Make it look good, but don't lose them." Jigen reminded Lupin, knowing what was on Lupin's mind.

Lupin nodded grimly and made a wild turn, ripping through a wooden fence and careening into an open field. The cop car sirens flipped on and they predictably followed.

The grass was damp from the rain the previous night and the wheels found it hard to grip hold of much. So at every slight turn of the wheel, they ended up fishtailing, sometimes violently, depending on how sharply Lupin had jerked at the steering wheel. They bumped and slid over hill and dale with the cops hot on their tail and having just as much trouble. The pursuit was a familiar thing to Lupin, but something was missing. It wasn't until he heard the lowing of disturbed cattle that he realized what it was. Every chase had been choreographed by Pop's. This time there was no one hollering after them pointlessly. A sharp pain of guilt stabbed Lupin in the heart, but he only hunched over the steering wheel and stepped a little heavier on the gas. No, he couldn't dwell on that at the moment!

The large pasture had a bit of forest stretching across it and some water, too large to be a lake, too small to be a pond.

"It's not too thick in there." Lupin angled the car into the direction of the forest.

Jigen leaned forward, taking in the forest with disbelief, "You ARE crazy!"

"Let's hope the cops aren't." Lupin replied.

"Or desperate." Goemon responded from the backseat.

Lupin shook his head and the car hurtled into the forest.

"I thought the whole idea was NOT to lose them?" Jigen asked as they narrowly missed spearing themselves on a broken log.

"But I have to make it look good, don't I? I have a rep to uphold!" Lupin jerked the wheel every which way. He thought he had a good idea of how it would have felt to be in the speederbike chase in Return of the Jedi at that moment. He hoped he wouldn't rip the oil pan or break an axle on anything. "Still back there?"

"They are." Goemon told him.

"Good."

So they spun their way through the tiny forest. Branches broke before them, giving the cops a slightly easier path to follow. The forest ended before Lupin was prepared for it to be. There was a road just ahead running perpendicular to the edge of the forest and just beyond that, a cliff.

They slid back onto the road.

"I hear a helicopter." Lupin mumbled and tried to quickly glance at the sky to see if he could see it too.

"Six o'clock." Goemon said.

"Shit!" The cops never sent a helicopter after him before. They sped along the ribbon of road with the cops behind them. He only wanted to be followed so that Fujiko could find them again, not captured! "Pedal's to the floor. This is all this jalopy's got."

"Wish we still had the Fiat." Jigen grumbled and turned to view the helicopter that was nearly upon them. "This can't turn out good."

The helicopter kept coming lower and closer to them. Jigen noticed a ladder rope swinging in the wind from the 'copter. Were the cops planning on boarding them? He grabbed up his gun tensely. Then the 'copter tilted a bit, and Jigen got a good view of the pilot. He snorted.

"Friggen Fujiko!"

Lupin's face lit up. "See? No problem!"

Jigen swore to himself and hoisted himself up through the open sunroof of the vehicle and grabbed hold of the ladder. He had to dodge the wild fire from the cop car behind as he climbed up and Goemon soon after. Lupin grabbed a tire iron and positioned it so that the gas pedal would stay down as he was leaving the car. He used his feet to try to steer as he stood. The fairly straight part of the road was nearly over. Major curves were ahead. He had to get out of the car now! Once he had a hold of one of the rungs, he pulled himself up and the car veered wildly. Lupin hadn't fully gotten his body out of the car yet and almost lost his grip on the rung when the car threatened to pull him away. But Lupin's adrenaline helped keep his grip on the ladder and as his car careened over the cliff, he scrambled up the ladder. A biting pain pierced the thief's arm and weirdly, it instantly went numb. Lupin knew he'd been shot, but didn't pause long enough to ponder over it.

Jigen and Goemon helped pull him into the helicopter, putting themselves back into the line of fire. With great effort, they hauled Lupin into the 'copter and fell to the floor with a sigh of relief.

"You're shot." Jigen observed and took a hold of Lupin's arm.

The pain came back from the act of touching, "AH! Idiot!" Lupin smacked Jigen away.

"Get us out of here, Fujiko!" Jigen ordered and if Lupin didn't know any better, the gunman sat there cross-legged on the floor of the helicopter and pouted.

Fujiko took the helicopter away from the chase and asked, "Where are we going?"

Lupin leaned up against the wall of the helicopter and closed his eyes. "There's a little abandoned airport thirty miles from here to the south. We go there."

Fujiko nodded and turned south.

To Be Continued---


	3. Part III

Betrayal

Part III

A Lupin Fanfic

Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Owned by Kato, Takahashi, and Monkey Punch, I make no profit from this fic, so try to sue me, I dare ya, I have nothing!

Summary: A bad spur of the moment idea costs Fujiko much more then what she might be willing to give up. Will Lupin be able to forgive her this time? And she actually feels--- gulity?

Jigen sat there in the helicopter silently fuming. This was not how he expected things to turn out. He'd made plans, and here Fujiko was, back to screw them all up. Well, all he knew was that the bitch was going to pay and he wasn't going to apologize to Lupin about it.

So, they were all back together again. Almost like the old days, Jigen sighed unhappily. After they had landed, they jacked a car and were off again. Fujiko cooed over the injured Lupin while Jigen drove. Jigen ground his teeth in disgust. Lupin was eating the attention up. Fujiko and Lupin took up the backseat of the car. Goemon sat shotgun and stone silent. Jigen wished he knew what was on the samurai's mind. From the look on the younger man's face, whatever the thought was, it wasn't pleasant.

Jigen knew what had to be done, he only hoped that Lupin would forgive him of it.

"We got to decide on how things are going to be from now on, Lupin." Jigen began, his ire making him feel self-righteous.

"Not now, Jigen." Lupin said tiredly. "Can't you give it a rest?"

Jigen gripped the wheel, his irritation spiked. "LUPIN!"

"Jigen, I've been shot, I'm tired, I want to lay down, okay?" Lupin said.

Jigen heard the weariness in his friend's voice. He clamped his jaws shut, grinding his teeth in frustration, but kept quiet--- for the moment. But his silence would not last, and he was certain that Lupin knew it too. He wanted to spit up bile from the noises he heard coming from Fujiko in the back. Yup, just like old times.

He was pissed. Pissed at how easily and willingly Lupin let himself be manipulated by that bitch.

Things would be going okay for a while, then the next thing he'd know, Fujiko would be making off with whatever their booty happened to be at the moment and they would be left taking the heat for it. He found it very hard to trust people and Fujiko made things that much more difficult. He didn't want her back in. He'd make it known to all what his wishes were. He wasn't in this game to make friends, he was in it to make money.

They made it to the hotel room they had rented for the week. Goemon got out the medical kit and began to work on Lupin's arm as the red coated thief sat on the bed. Fujiko went into the restroom and Jigen stood up against the wall near Lupin.

"Well?" Lupin prompted. "I know you're just growing a family of ulcers keepin' quiet about it. Spill."

"Don't want her here." Jigen said as if that was news to all

Lupin snorted. "News flash. You have something on your mind and I wanna know what."

"She's bad news, Lupin. You know it. She's going to play you, play you until you break and then she'll go on to the next one."

"She's got spirit all right."

Jigen growled, "There's nothing admirable about what SHE does, Lupin! She doesn't give a rat's ass about you. It's always about HER!"

The door to the bathroom was flung open and the curvaceous figure of Fujiko stood in the center. Hands on hips and brilliant eyes flashed.

"Care to speak a little louder, Jigen? I was in the next room!" She fumed as she raised her voice to match her new anger. How dare he? He didn't know a damn thing about her! "You don't know anything!"

"I know what I've seen, and I know what I like, and I don't care for either." Jigen confided with equal vehemence.

"Bastard."

"Bitch."

"Guys!" Lupin chimed in. "Whatever happened to forgiveness is divine?"

Jigen and Fujiko each shot him a look that could kill.

"Goemon---" Lupin looked over at the quiet samurai for help.

"Don't look at me. This is your bed, there's no way I'm going to share THIS one with you." Goemon replied firmly. He took his sheathed katana in one hand and the medical kit in the other and moved off, having finished with his quick patchwork.

"Lot of help you are." Lupin sighed.

"Lupin, it's the same old song. It ain't gonna be any different." Jigen said stubbornly.

"Not your call though, Jigen, right?" Fujiko stated flatly. Her eyes migrated over to the notorious man on the bed who haphazardly tried to inspect his bandage while trying to keep focused on the drama in front of him. "Lupin."

His head spun around once more, satisfied that Goemon's patchwork was true. "What?"

"Do I stay or do I go?" Fujiko demanded, her hot eyes boring into him.

"Um." Lupin looked to Jigen, then to Fujiko, then back again, and again. He didn't want to choose. He didn't want to have to make that decision.

"Don't hurt yourself man!" Jigen turned and headed towards the door.

"Wait, Jigen! Where you going?" Lupin stood instantly, worried at his friends sudden departure.

"Out. I need some friggen air. That okay with you?" He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cigarette pack. He pulled one out and clamped it between his teeth. "I'll be back--- maybe."

"Jigen, come on, don't be an ass-" Lupin started.

Jigen had the door open, his hand rested on the knob, his back still facing his friends and one that was not. "Don't start with me Lupin. Not today." He strode out and let the door shut firmly.

Lupin was still standing, staring after his friend anxiously. "He'll come to his senses. He'll be back."

"So how far is it to this land of Delusion that you live in, Lupin?" Goemon asked dryly.

"Knock it off, Goemon." Lupin shot his friend an evil look, "Look, it's been a rough day on all of us. He's just gone to blow some steam is all."

"Good riddance." Fujiko breathed quietly.

Lupin was not amused. "And none of that from you, Fujiko. Not after all you've done."

Fujiko placed a hand on her chest indignant, "What I've done? I just saved all of your sorry hides, is what I've done!"

Lupin's look didn't change, "Fuj, you know how I feel about you, but you also know how I feel about the--- incident."

"What incident?" Fujiko demanded.

"The whole thing with Pops." Lupin's frown deepened.

"I would have hoped that you could have forgiven me by now." Fujiko had a sinking feeling. Maybe she shouldn't have come back after all. Even though Lupin had welcomed her with open arms, it was now clear that he was still angry with her over that whole stupid--- thing!

Lupin looked away, "It wasn't how I thought he'd go out. Nothing noble at all about it."

"So, am I staying?" Fujiko ventured.

It took effort to turn back and look at her, but dammit, once his eyes fell on her, she was so easy to look at. It was hard to remain angry when one looked at that face.

"Let's take things day by day, alright?" Lupin finally said.

Fujiko grinned in relief and walked up to the thief. She wrapped her arms around him and he let her hug him. She smelled the remnants of his cologne and sweat. God, she forgot how much she missed that! She moved in to kiss his neck, but he seemed to have sensed her intentions and his head jerked away from her lips.

"Not yet. Sorry, Fuji-cakes." He gently unwrapped her arms from his shoulders and pushed her away from him. He hated the look he saw in her eyes. Part of him wanted to dive in and make them sparkle with joy. But he knew that was just the part of him that didn't give a damn about Zenigata's death. That didn't care about anything but sex with Fujiko. It was the ugly part of him, the part he'd been trying to forget was there.

The next day and they were still missing one of their number. Fujiko had to admit she was relieved that the chain smoking gunman was no where to be seen. Maybe he had made his choice. Well good!

They had a double room suite. Fujiko had ended up in one room and Lupin and Goemon in the other. When Fujiko entered the room that Lupin and Goemon shared through a door that connected the two, she saw Lupin reading the morning newspaper. Room service had already arrived and she helped herself without asking to the bagels and Bloody Mary.

"Well, well, look what's arrived in our neck of the woods." Lupin said with eyes still on the paper.

Fujiko's interest perked, glad to see that even with the absence of Jigen that Lupin was still thinking about business. "What's on your mind, Lupin, Honey?"

"A team of American's just brought a boatload of bullion to the surface. Apparently, these waters have a nasty reputation during the stormy season and there's a veritable graveyard of ships dating all the way back to the early 1600's along the coastline, just waiting to be defrocked. One, apparently had been carrying literally a king's ransom in dabloon's, coins, gold bricks, you name it. It's currently in a holding cell collecting dust, waiting transport to the Spanish museum. What say we polish it off?" Lupin grinned hugely as he looked up at his two companions.

"I just love a good buff!" Fujiko said excitedly.

"What about Jigen?" Goemon wondered.

"We aren't going to leave him a note." Fujiko said shortly, "Just our luck the cleaning service would come in, see it, and alert the authorities."

"We can do this one job without him." Lupin said. "We can't wait around forever for him." He added at Goemon's look. "They're going to relocate the stuff tonight under heavy police surveillance."

"I see. Business as usual." Goemon conceded reluctantly. He gave Fujiko a cool glance.

"Yeah. Business as usual." Lupin said tightly tired of all the trouble in the ranks.

"I take it you already have a plan?" Fujiko asked, ignoring the swordsman artfully.

Lupin grinned, "Of course, my dear. What kind of thief do you take me for?"

Fujiko would rather not say, so she didn't.

"Going to enlighten us or are we supposed to ad lib?" Goemon said stonily.

"Well, thanks to the wonderful world of computers, I found a schematic of the holding area. It's not meant to hold perishables, so no ventilation, no windows, let's face it, it's not much more then a glorified cell." Lupin told them.

Goemon studied the layout, "One way in, one way out. Easy to guard."

"Easy to distract." Lupin said glibly.

"We've gotten into tougher places." Fujiko was unimpressed.

"So, you ready to make an easy buck?" Lupin asked and stood.

"Right now?" Fujiko said wonderingly. Was he serious?

Lupin nodded, "Yeah, why not? No time like the present and all that. The sooner we clean em out, the sooner we'll be divvying up the loot."

"Well, I got nothing else planned." Goemon gripped his sword.

Lupin grinned, "You gotta get a hobby."

"So everyone tells me."

"Enough with the banter," Fujiko was impatient, "You were the one who wanted to do this now, so let's!"

So they marched out and once outside, filed into the truck with Lupin at the wheel. Fujiko noted that Lupin wasn't his usual self during the drive over to the storage unit. She supposed it was due to Jigen's conspicuous absence. It didn't bother her one bit, as long as she didn't have to split any of her earnings up with him.

They drove around the building slow enough to be able to see everything but not so slow as to attract attention.

"Light guard compliment. Guess they aren't expecting any visitors." Lupin noted.

Goemon nodded, "Yes, but you cannot judge a book by its cover."

Lupin agreed, "Right, for all we know the bulk of the guards could be inside the holding cell."

"It looks almost too easy." Fujiko commented after they cased the entire area.

"That's usually when disaster strikes." Lupin said after years of experience.

"So we'll be extra cautious." Fujiko said.

"And that's usually when things go from bad to worse." Lupin replied.

Fujiko scowled at Lupin.

"Are we going to do this today, people?" Goemon said none too happily.

Lupin nodded, "Right. Let's do it."

"I'm not going to be the distraction." Fujiko protested when they began to move out.

A dark cloud of emotion seemed to pass behind Lupin's eyes at the ill-fated mention of how all the trouble had begun. Fujiko saw it and immediately regretted those words.

"Sorry, Lupin." She said and actually meant it.

He heard and nodded, his face turning unreadable. "You keep look out, Fuj. Goemon will take care of the guards and I'll open the door. Then you get the truck Fuj and we'll load it all up together."

The two companions nodded in understanding. Fujiko took point at the most advantageous spot. She had a clear view of the one road and of two sides of the building without herself being seen in return. She could see Lupin waiting under cover for Goemon to make his move. If anyone was going to approach the building from any direction, she was going to see it. She sighed. Being look out was boring!

She watched Goemon approach slowly, his sword half drawn under what cover he could find. The last few yards there was nothing to hide behind and Goemon would have no choice but to confront the five guards. They were armed, but Fujiko had no doubt that Goemon could handle himself against five armed men.

Goemon instantly attracted their attention. The Japanese samurai was set upon. His face held that look that gave nothing away. By the time he had the guards out of commission he wasn't even breathing heavily. Lupin popped out of his hiding place looking very pleased. Goemon slipped his sword back into its wooden sheathe quietly. Just another day at the office.

Fujiko leapt down from her post and ran to get the unmarked delivery truck. She backed it up with care to the front of the door. Conspicuous, but they wouldn't be there for long.

Lupin was working on the door as fast as his nimble hands allowed. The lock was no match for his heightened skills. It was breached with ease.

"Ladies first my love!" Lupin had a hold of the handle and opened the door with a flourish.

Fujiko couldn't wait to get her hands on all that gold! Gold was the one thing in life that she could trust fully. It never lost its value either. Her eyes brightened with anticipation as the door opened to reveal---

She stared in shock. There was no way, no possible way!

"Zenigata?" She found her voice at last.

Upon hearing the name, Lupin peered carefully around the door. His face lit up and broke into a big grin. "POP'S!" He even daringly ran around the door, squeezing in between Fujiko and an amazed Goemon and gave a surprised Inspector a huge hug.

That caught the aged cop off guard and he almost dropped his gun. "OW! Dammit, Lupin, that hurts!"

"I got shot at too, Pop's, but you don't hear me complaining." Lupin had that silly grin on his face and tweaked the cop's cheek.

"Knock it off, Lupin." Zenigata growled.

"That has to be music to my ears!" Lupin said truthfully. How he had missed the old geezer!

"Get off me!" Zenigata ordered and tried to shove the man away. He was used to Lupin stripping away what little dignity he still owned. But it didn't mean he had to like it! "Now, I'm looking for some stolen ruby's and I have a feeling I know just who to take in for it."

Lupin backed up. Same old Pops. Always on the job. Still after those blasted ruby's! "I don't have any ruby's." Anymore, he added silently.

"Don't look at me." Goemon said flatly.

"I got a warrant for a search." Zenigata held up the piece of paper. His eyes flicked over to Fujiko.

"What?" She demanded hotly when she noticed the Inspector's interest in her. "Jigen took all of my ruby's long ago!"

"That a fact? Then you won't mind if I search your pockets if you have nothing to hide?" Zenigata said in his professional cop voice.

Fujiko glowered at the cop but threw her hands up, submitting herself to being searched. Zenigata approached her cautiously. He remembered what happened between them the last time they met like it was yesterday--- as if he could ever forget!

"Don't get any cute ideas either! Your hands stay up there!" Pops ordered trying not to look at her mouth--- that luscious mouth that had taken him in fully--- God! He shouldn't be going there right then! He shook his head to clear it and then slipped his hands into each of her pockets. His left came out empty, but the right---

"Shit!" Fujiko gasped as she saw what Pops now held in his hand. They sparkled brilliantly, drawing her attention like a magnet. "Those aren't mine! I swear to you! It's a frame-up!"

Grinning harshly, Zenigata wasn't buying her line, "If I've a dollar for every time you told me that out and out lie, I'd be a millionaire." The cuffs came out in a wink of the eye and Fujiko suddenly found herself attached to the old cop.

She pulled against her restraint, "You can't be serious! Those aren't mine!" She shouted at him.

Zenigata pocketed the stolen ruby's, her rant falling on deaf ears.

"Um," Lupin and Goemon were standing there watching the whole thing in awe. "What about us?"

Pop's looked up, "I didn't find any ruby's on you, now, did I?"

Lupin and Goemon shook their heads, jaws slightly agape.

"You're--- you're going to let me and Goemon go?" Lupin dared to ask.

Zenigata shrugged, "Got only one pair of handcuffs. Unless you want to tag along, I see no reason to detain you for now."

Lupin looked past the old cop into the vault where the gold was. Then he stared into the cops eyes. An understanding passed between them, no hard feelings. Zenigata had gotten what he had been after. The gold trip would never have happened in his write up. At least, not so that he and Goemon would be mentioned.

"Lupin!" Fujiko protested.

"Well, Fuj," Lupin waved at her, "I guess it wasn't meant to be. Come on, Goemon."

"Maybe some jail time will give her some time to reflect on where her loyalties lie." Goemon said as he turned his back and began to stroll away.

"IT'S NOT GOING TO BE WITH EITHER OF YOU!" She screamed impotently at their backs. Hopeless! Lupin had betrayed her to his old enemy! She would be sure to get out of jail soon so she could enact her revenge! No one did that to her!

From a safe distance, Lupin and Goemon watched as Zenigata put Fujiko into his car and drive off to the police station. By the time that happened, a contingent of soldiers arrived to guard the door to the holding unit. Lupin knew it was time to move on.

"Now it's down to just two." Lupin said rather glumly, regretting that Fujiko had to be served her just desserts just a little. After all was said and done, no matter how rotten to him she was, he still loved her.

"I wouldn't say that." A deep and familiar voice was suddenly behind them.

"Jigen!" Lupin turned around, his face instantly turned happy. "I knew you couldn't stay away for long!"

"Jigen." Goemon nodded a mellow hello at the man.

The gunman nodded in return. "Just had to take care of some things."

A light dawned in Lupin's head, "You planted the ruby's in Fuj's pocket back at the hotel, you also found Pops and led him here!"

"How did you know we would be here?" Goemon wanted to know.

"Come on, I know Lupin. This is the only action around these parts worth any notice. On my constitutional, I ran into Pops and we struck up a deal." Jigen said simply.

Lupin shook his head, "You are the devious one, aren't you?"

"Bitch got what she deserves." Jigen said around his cigarette.

Goemon added, "Zenigata also gets a collar that'll look good on his record."

"I guess so." Lupin sighed unhappily, still wishing that there could have been a way to keep Fujiko out of jail. But after all that happened, after finding out that good ol' Pops was alive and back to his usual self, he knew it was what had to be done. But it didn't mean he still wished for a different outcome.

"Stop moping, Lupin." Jigen commented and pat him on his back. "You'll see her again soon enough."

"In about ten years or so." Goemon said quietly.

Lupin sighed again, knowing that when she DID get out, he'd have to watch his step. Fujiko had been right. She HAD been betrayed. He had wondered about how Fujiko had gotten a hold of the ruby's. Oh well. What was done was done.

"No gold, no girl---" Lupin began.

"No jail." Jigen finished for his friend.

"Sounds good to me." Goemon began to walk off.

The others followed silently, each very glad that freedom was still very much a part of their lives.

The End


End file.
